Playground Planners Unit Portfolio Presentation Ernie Almanza

Unit Summary To learn about the area, perimeter and circumference of the shapes all around us. Student groups become playground designers and design a new playground area for the soon to be renovated elementary school in town. Each group has a budget and specifications for the project but the actual design has several options to choose from and allows for plenty of creativity. Finally, the groups will present their design to the PTA and/or School Board for review through a newsletter that describes the project and a presentation of their group proposal with cost estimates, supporting facts and design layout.

Curriculum Framing Questions Essential Questions What are the shapes that shape our world? Unit Questions Why are all circles similar? What are the building blocks of all polygonal shapes?

Content Questions How can you apply area formulas to determine the area of other polygons that are not specifically triangles or quadrilaterals? How do you find the length of a side of a right triangle when given the lengths of the other two sides? How do you classify quadrilaterals? Why is there more than one area formula for quadrilaterals? Does doubling the length and width of a rectangle double the area as well? How are circumference and diameter related? Does doubling the radius of a circle double the area as well?

21 st Century Skills This project will help my students develop 21 st century skills by: Learning and Innovative Skills - demonstrating originality and inventiveness in work - communication and collaboration Information, Media and Technology Skills - using technology to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information Life and Career Skills - demonstrating initiative and creativity in a group environment - utilizing time efficiently and managing workload - using interpersonal and problem solving skills to influence and guide others toward a goal

Gauging Student Needs Assessment Purpose of the Assessment To determine prior knowledge and any weaknesses of geometry skills. What I want to learn from my students? Would like to understand level of geometry skills beyond knowing the formulas. Can they determine the dimensions of a polygon or circle given area or perimeter constraints? Can they determine the area or perimeter of figures that are NOT on the “formula sheet”?

My goals for the Course To successfully incorporate a project into my teaching and “throw away the book” for awhile To learn about different types of technology my students and I can use to make math more fun

Goals for my students To understand that learning can be fun and it comes in many different colors To be able to “cooperate and graduate” To become more independent in their studies To improve upon technological skills To apply their math skills to a real world situation

Request for Feedback Brochure or Power Point or both? Help with websites, checklists, rubrics Ways to keep the “gifted” ones and their parents from taking over the project